


Alternators and Uranium

by PFDiva



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Dorks in Love, F/M, Gen, Pale Romance | Moirallegiance, Robotics
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-04-07
Updated: 2013-04-07
Packaged: 2017-12-07 18:59:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,156
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/751922
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PFDiva/pseuds/PFDiva
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Equius has a crush.  Inspired by <a href="http://lizardlicks.tumblr.com/post/43941227563/shotapolice-cmon-dude-you-cant-say-you-have-a">this conversation</a> on Tumblr.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Alternators and Uranium

“Give me a clue, at least! Tell me what their name starts with!?”

"No, Nepeta, I refuse."

"But EQUIUS~!"

Nepeta was using that voice.

The sad, high one that said you were culling her lusus and driving away all her other quadrants.  You are usually quite susceptible to this ploy, even knowing it for what it is, but you simply CAN'T tell her.

It's far too 100d.

"No, Nepeta.  I shouldn't have mentioned that I had a concuspient crush at all."

"Won't you even tell me the quadrant?  Purrlease?"

"No."

Nepeta sulks at you, withdrawing to the corner of your workshop that is designated as 'her' space.

She has a tea party with herself and loudly complains about her stubborn moirail who won't tell her what's on his mind, like moirails are SUPPOSED to do.

Only she does it with more cat puns.

You attempt to spar with your robots, internally squirming with guilt. You know you should simply give in to Nepeta's pleading, but you are so embarrassed to have only just realized that you feel this way.

You are not giving the fight the attention it deserves, so you should have expected the bot to take advantage of your inattention and clock you.

But you don't.

Thus, you are blindsided by the right hook that slams into your temple, smashing your head into the wall and knocking you unconscious.

When you come to, Nepeta's slight weight is sprawled on top of your chest, her toes idly digging into your shins as she cleans what feels like a rather painful wound on your forehead.

"Equius."

She's using her serious voice, and your bloodpusher curls up with shame in your chest.

"Yes, Nepeta?"

"I'm not just bothering you about this fur my health and shipping wall, you know.  You've been awfurly distracted lately.  And one of your KILLBOTS nearly, well, killed you."

You would very much enjoy the chance to crawl into a deep, dark hole and pull the edges in after you.

"You'll laugh at me."

"I laugh at you anyway. Especially when you're being purrticularly silly, like you are now.  Why would this be any difurrent?"

Which is true.

Honestly, you just don't want her to mock your flushcrush the way she mocks you.

You deserve it.

He doesn't.

"He's human," you confess, and you can see her mind page through the viable options. In less than a second, you see she's reached a conclusion, and she offers you a sweet smile.

"You're flushed for Dirk Strider!"

Your face warms unbearably as you slowly nod.

This was why you didn't dare give her even the smallest hint. The pair of you spend little time with any humans, even in spite of this strange new world in which humans and trolls live alongside one another. Of the humans you associate with, only half are male.

Dirk Strider is....well, to list all the good things that he was would take far too long, even within the confines of your head, and Nepeta is insisting on your attention by lightly digging a claw into the cut on your head.

"Yes, Nepeta?"

"I was SAYING that the purroblem is that he's black for you."

Your digestion sack drops.

"How do you know that?"

"Well, back when we all furrst met, you two spent so much time together, I thought he was trying to purrloin our quadrant."

"Nepeta!"  You are horrified.  How could she ever think anyone could replace her?  Even the unbecoming cat puns and the silly roleplaying shenanigans are an integral part of her, and your moirallegience with her.  Noone could ever replace her as your moirail, simply because you would not LET them.

When the game first ended, all the players, human and otherwise, had come together, finding homes in the same city for both safety and emotional reassurance, and you found that you encountered this particular human very frequently. The two of you turned out to share many hobbies, and you began soliciting one another's aid on a variety of projects.

Nepeta wiggles her toes against your shin.

"I know, I know, I was being a silly puss.  You could not be paler furr me if you tried.  That's not the point."

"I do believe there is a serious issue if you believe that anyone could efurr replace you in my pale quadrant."  Though you say the cat pun for Nepeta's benefit, it still makes you wince.

Nepeta squeals happily and hugs you tightly, nuzzling her head under your chin.

"AC thinks her moirail is the best moirail efurr and never wants to be anyone else's palemate efurr, efurr, EFURR!"

"Nepeta, you will cease with this f001ishness immediately and resume your story."

"Oh, right!  Anyway, I didn't think YOU would be unfaithful, I just wanted to let HIM know that this blueblood already has a moirail, and no other applicants need apply!"

You nod against her chin, encouraging her to continue. You feel very relieved, and not for the first time, that Nepeta is so STRONG, she will not have a bruise on her scalp from your chin scraping against it come morning.

"So I did.  And then he told me that he didn't want feelings jams with you. Said I could stick 'em up my waste chute, hehe.  He said he wanted to take you apart, find out what made you tick, and keep it in his sylladex.  That's a human way of saying he's black furr you, right?"

Your internal organs are doing things internal organs should not be doing, and you are breathless with hope. Nepeta doesn't understand humans, or even trolls as well as you do, because she prefers to spend her time out and about in nature, hunting and stalking things. So even though she has an eye for complementary personalities, finer nuances of social interaction escape her.

"Nepeta."

"Hm?"

"That is not a human way of saying he's black for me at all.  That is a roboticist's way of saying he's flushed as flushed could be."

"But he wants to STEAL pieces of you!"

"So that I do not function properly without him. It's how you protect expensive equipment from theft in uncertain circumstances—you remove a small, but vital piece so that it does not function, or even start, without your presence."

Your very smart moirail takes a moment to process this before her mouth forms a small, round oh of surprise. Then she looks sad.

"But that was almost a sweep ago, Equius.  If he was so interested, why didn't he say anything before now?"

"He WAS saying something.  The message just never got to me."

She turns green about the nose.

"Oops."

"It's alright.  He's flushed for me.  Or he was.  Perhaps...the feelings linger?  We still spend a great deal of time together."

Nepeta offers you an encouraging smile.

"I say go furr it!"

The next time Dirk comes over, you go for it.


End file.
